Better
by Bamboo Tora
Summary: SPOILERS for Endgame. Howard Stark knows never to give a Stark a challenge.


Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to this small flight of fancy. I do not own Iron Man. If I did… well, I'm sure you get the picture.

Better

"Stark," a voice called.

Tony couldn't take his eyes off of Pepper.

"Stark." The voice was closer, and familiar.

Around him, in an orientation that should not be possible, the other Avengers gathered.

"Tony." The second voice, a female, made him whip his head to the side in disbelief. His mother smiled at him. She looked so much younger than he remembered. Next to her stood an Afghani man. It was the glasses that gave him away.

"This is not possible," Tony whispered. It wasn't.

A younger man, who looked startlingly akin to him, spoke in the voice of his father. "After what you've seen, this is what you think is impossible?"

Apparently, this was not Heaven. His Dad was still a contentious ass. Realizing that he was, in fact, dead, and yet that he was, in fact, still existing, he turned his attention back to his body. …and Pepper.

In the time he'd glanced away something had changed. The view of the world, the Avengers, Pepper, had somehow become washed out. He took a step toward the red head, reaching out a hand.

"You can't go back there," his mother told him. Tony glanced up at her, startled to find that she had moved to his side and become so much clearer.

"I.." He reached a hand out fruitlessly, encountering some barrier he couldn't see but could feel. "Pepper. Morgan." His jaw clenched and he blinked furiously.

His mother slid her hand up his arm to his shoulder. Her other hand came up, exerting gentle pressure along his jaw to turn his head away from the scene of his death. "I know. But you saved them. You saved a lot of people. I am so, so proud of you."

He worked his jaw and swallowed roughly, nodding his head slightly. His eyes traveled back to the gathering around his wife to see that the scene was so washed out he could only really pick out the color of her hair.

Yinsen stepped up beside him. "Take it from someone who knows. You will see them again someday, Stark," he comforted. "Hopefully, they will keep you waiting longer than you kept me."

Tony chuffed a surprised laugh from deep in his chest. He turned from his mother and reached out to touch his one time cell mate. Yinsen grinned and a few more rough chuckles escaped Tony.

"Glad to see you," he admitted, pulling the man in for a short brotherly hug.

"Glad to see you too," Yinsen smiled, then leaned back and clapped him on the shoulder. "It is not a waste. Not at all," he opined.

Tony glanced back toward where his wife and friends had been, but there was nothing there. They were alive. He wasn't. They still had things to do. "Yeah," he agreed.

Drawing a breath in abruptly through his nose he turned his back on where he'd come from. "So, what's next?"

"That's it? No arguing?" His father asked incredulously. "I expected more arguing."

"Howard," his mother scolded.

"What?" His father leaned back, tucking his hands into his pockets. "The boy argues about everything and this he takes gracefully? I expected some wheedling and at least a few escape attempts."

"Howard," his mother warned. "Don't make it a challenge."

Tony tilted his head to the side in consideration and his father smirked at him.

"Tony," his mother said sternly, but there was a smile dancing around the corners of her mouth.

Ignoring his mother, he contemplated, "If there's a way here…"

From beside him, Yinsen started laughing.

…...

With a sudden intake of air, Tony woke from a dream that was not a dream. He rolled his head to the side, taking in the sight of a slightly younger Pepper sleeping peacefully next to him. His memories slotted into place correctly this time and he pushed the covers off himself. Planting his feet on the floor he narrowed his eyes. Last time wasn't bad, but he could do better.

…...

Notes:

It started out all nice and poignant and then my mind was like Denial! Left Turn! So, here ya go. Don't ask questions. Live with the plot holes!


End file.
